Feb. 19, 2013

A Lincoln seventh-grader forms a bowl that will be on display at Thursday's Empty Bowls fundraiser. / Courtesy of Larimer County Food Bank

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16th Annual Empty Bowls Fort Collins

• When: 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday • Where: Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road • What: An event to increase hunger awareness and raise money for Food Bank of Larimer County and its partner programs. Past events have generated $450,000. Soups are provided by locally owned restaurants, and the event features a silent auction and tour of empty, clay bowls made by students and artists. • Tickets: May be purchased online

They’re one-of-a-kind bowls, handmade by local students and devoid of sustenance — symbols of what life is like for some in the community who don’t get enough to eat.

These dishes also mark the reappearance of an event that in the past has raised $450,000 to fight hunger in the Larimer County area. Tickets are on sale now for the 16th annual Empty Bowls Fort Collins, happening Thursday evening at the Hilton Fort Collins.

Proceeds go to the Food Bank for Larimer County, which annually funnels 7.8 million pounds of donated food to people in need through three programs: Food Share, Kids Cafe and Food Link. The price of one $50 ticket can provide food for 200 families.

Empty Bowls is the brainchild of former Poudre School District teacher Mike McCarthy, who, in 1998, launched the fundraiser with a $375 grant from the Fort Collins Community Foundation, a news release said. Today, the program designed to increase hunger awareness has several partners, including Poudre School District.

Julie Hansen’s Lincoln Middle School seventh-graders are among the artists who crafted clay bowls that will be on display at Thursday’s event. Their creations give students the ability to give back to their community while getting messy at the same time, she said in the release.